Nepal Women's Football Team Ready to Face Bangladesh in SAFF Championship Semifinal

India. The Nepali women's national football team is fully prepared to face the Bangladesh team in the semi-finals of the Women's SAFF Championship, the biggest competition for South Asian nations.

In the approximately 16-year journey of this championship, which has been organized since 2010, Nepal has always reached the semi-finals. Although Nepal has been runner-up many times during this period, it has not been able to win the championship title. Recently, Bangladesh has been giving tough competition to Nepal and surpassing it.

For the past five years, Nepal has been losing to Bangladesh. Nepal, which had been defeating Bangladesh since the beginning of the SAFF Championship until 2021, has been defeated since then. According to the latest statistics, out of a total of 13 matches, Nepal has won six matches, while Bangladesh has won five matches. Similarly, two matches have ended in a draw.

In the 2022 SAFF Championship final, Bangladesh defeated Nepal and won the championship title. In the 2024 SAFF Championship, Bangladesh also defeated Nepal and lifted the SAFF Championship title for the second consecutive time.

Nepal is facing Bangladesh today to take revenge for those defeats. The match will be held at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, India, at 4:00 PM local time.

Nepal women's team head coach Naveen Neupane said that his team is physically and mentally strong against Bangladesh. He mentioned that although the players felt fatigue due to the extreme heat and humidity in Goa in the initial match of the tournament, the team had adapted to the weather by the second match.

Coach Neupane stated that the match against Bangladesh will be tougher than the previous matches and informed that all players are ready for an excellent performance. "Bangladesh is a strong team. We have to play with full energy and discipline to give a 'tough fight' against them. The players are mentally and physically ready," he said.

According to head coach Neupane, the arrival of midfielder Preeti Rai, who recently joined the team, has further boosted the team's morale. He expressed confidence that Preeti, who has played in Cambodia, will have no problem playing in the Goa weather and said that Preeti's ball distribution ability will be important for the team.

"Preeti's specialty is good supply. She can create opportunities. We need to utilize the opportunities created in the upcoming match, otherwise, it will be difficult for us," he said.

Preeti has arrived in Goa for the semi-final match. She arrived in Goa only two days ago because she is affiliated with a club in Cambodia. Coach Neupane said that the team plans to focus on organized and 'compact defense' along with 'counter' attacks. He admitted that in the last two matches, most attacks came from the right wing and crosses from the left side were not as expected, and informed that training is underway to improve this.

Speaking about 'fitness', he said that the team is in good condition after three weeks of preparation. Neupane stated that although there were some problems adapting to the weather in the initial match, the players are now fully prepared.

Analyzing Bangladesh, coach Neupane mentioned that the team is in a transitional phase. "Bangladesh has a mix of new and experienced players. Their performance has not been as expected, but they are physically very strong. Therefore, we have to play with caution," he said.

The Nepali team aims to add extra energy to the players with the support of Nepali spectators and secure a place in the final by winning the semi-final. Neupane said, "The daughters need support and encouragement. The love and support of the spectators give us special energy. We will enter the field with the goal of winning and reaching the final."

In the group stage match, Nepal won its first match by defeating Bhutan by one goal to nil. Similarly, in the last match of the group, Nepal defeated Sri Lanka by two goals to nil and secured its journey to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Renuka Nagarkoti, who captained the Nepali team in the match against Sri Lanka, scored a historic goal of her career. She, who has been part of the team since the beginning of the SAFF Championship, scored her career's first goal. She scored a brilliant chip shot from about 22 yards in the 60th minute of the match. Nepal won the match against Sri Lanka by two goals to nil.

Bangladesh defeated Maldives in the group stage match, while losing to India. Among the six participating nations in the championship, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan have reached the semi-finals. Among these, Nepal is the winner of group 'A', while Bangladesh is the runner-up of group 'B'. Similarly, India is the winner of group 'B', and Bhutan is the runner-up of group 'A', reaching the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka and Maldives were eliminated from the group stage. The second semi-final match between India and Bhutan will be held tonight at 8:00 PM. The Nepali team, which has been returning empty-handed despite reaching the finals for the past 16 years, aims to change history this time and has entered the field with that goal.